host: president obama talking about what democrats won, potentially, in this deal. a writer for the nation -- "the nation" -- as he writes, the bill was approved, and most republicans were behind it. they're worse -- there were some no votes. there were five republican nos. there were three knows from the democrats, senators bennett, harper, and tom harkin. richard in capitol heights, maryland, an independent color. caller: thank you for taking my call. those people realize that this so-called fiscal cliff, but there is a reason why these tax cuts camp -- come up every year. it is so they can keep debating over the american people, to allow the american people to pay super rich people's america -- their taxes. i just do not get what people do not understand that this is why it comes up every year. that is what we will keep doing. this is what they are fighting for. it is wild. sexting dollar trillion of debt is bush and obama tax cuts -- $16 trillion that is the bush tax cuts that keep coming up. the medicare plan be. that is the other is trillion dollars. we cannot